This Day: February 28

On Wednesday, Scott Stauve, 19, galvanized chain at Peerless Chain, preparing it for the corrosive salt of the Pacific Ocean. The chain began as raw steel in the Winona plant. It was forged, cleaned in an acid wash, dipped in a super-heated zinc bath, and flame treated. The finished chain is destined for commercial fishing boats known as “purse seiners” that use mile-long nets to surround schools of tuna. The chain is attached to the bottom of the 100-ton net, which it pulls together, or purses, once the fish are surrounded. The boats trawl the ocean for months at a time and require chain that can withstand long-term immersion in salt water. About 4 million tons of tuna are taken from the world’s oceans every year. Peerless can make about 20,000 feet of the chain a day, primarily for Asian fishing fleets.